Born 1983, Surabaya, Indonesia
Lives and works in Sidoarjo, Indonesia

Working predominantly in the margins of Indonesia’s contemporary art circles—Sidoarjo, Bali, then returning to Sidoarjo—Banny Jayanata’s canvases enclose distorted characters in a melancholic tableau of rough, impasto brushstrokes,  foreshadowing the existential human condition that he is so fascinated by. His subjects grapple with the weight of life’s transience, often appearing to be caught in moments of profound inner turmoil. And yet, amidst this struggle, there is a vividness to their presence, a living quality that makes each figure seem as though they are on the cusp of breaking free from their torment. Movement forms the primary engine of these ideas in Jayanata’s practice, holding in store an interest in both violent collisions between bodies as well as the pleasure of their entwinement. This is a formula towards achieving what the artist describes as a “living image”.
 
Jayanata’s overarching interest in the interplay between beauty and decay finds his paintings infused with a sense of inevitable decay, where beauty is juxtaposed with the harsh reality of its fragility. His subjects undergo a certain abstraction, not to further their artificiality, but rather to accentuate their states as living organisms that cannot resist the fate of decay and disappearance. In this decay, Jayanata finds deeper meaning, reaching for beauty as a kind of redemption and purpose in the face of life’s inevitable transience. In his paintings, Jayanata captures the essence of what it means to be human—fragile, beautiful, and inexorably bound to the passage of time.

Jayanata received his Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Communication and Design from the Petra Christian University, Surabaya, Indonesia in 2007 and his Master’s Degree in Visual Arts from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta in 2014. He has participated in a number of exhibitions throughout his artistic career. His solo exhibitions are Black and Blue Mood at Museum dan Tanah Liat, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2018) and LUKA at Independent Art Management, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2014). His group exhibitions include Onsen Confidential: The Final!! at Mujin-to Production, Tokyo, Japan (2024), Basel Social Club in Basel, Switzerland (2023); murmur at ROH, Jakarta, Indonesia (2023); Art Jakarta Gardens with ROH, Jakarta, Indonesia (2023); tubuh at Art Jakarta with ROH, Jakarta, Indonesia (2022); Identitas yang Hidup at Museum dan Tanah Liat, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2021); Pan-Asian Cultural Connections at Capulet Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (2020); Merayakan Optimisme, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2019); 80 Nan Ampuh: Tribute untuk Oei Hong Djien at MDTL, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2019); Virtual Territories at Jogja National Museum, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2013); Works on Paper #2 at Aswara Heritage Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2013); DEKA – EXI(S) at Biennale Jogja at Kandang Menjangan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2013) and at Museum H. Widayat, Magelang, Central Java and UPT Gallery, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2012).